A safe and effective cancer treatment has been the goal of investigators for a substantial period of time. Such a technique, to be successful in the destruction of the cancer cells in situ, must be selective in effect upon the cancer cells and produce no irreversible damage to the normal cells. In sum, cancer treatment must selectively differentiate cancer cells from normal cells and must selectively weaken or kill the cancer cells without affecting the normal cells.
It has been known that there are certain physical differences that exist between cancer cells and normal cells. One primary physical difference that exists is in the temperature differential characteristics between the cancer cells and the normal cells. Cancer cells, because of their higher rates of metabolism, have higher resting temperatures compared to normal cells. The normal resting temperature of the cancer cell is known to be 37.5.degree. Centigrade, while that of the normal cell is 37.degree. Centigrade. Another physical characteristic that differentiates the cancer cells from the normal cells is that cancer cells die at lower temperatures than do normal cells. The temperature at which a normal cell will be killed and thereby irreversibly will be unable to perform normal cell functions is a temperature of 46.5.degree. Centigrade, on the average. The cancer cell, in contrast, will be killed at the lower temperature of 45.5.degree. Centigrade. The temperature elevation increment necessary to cause death in the cancer cell is determined to be at least approximately 8.0.degree. Centigrade, while the normal cell can withstand a temperature increase of at least 9.5.degree. Centigrade.
Based upon the foregoing, a cancer treatment method has been disclosed by the applicant in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,488 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference) which involves inducing the selective `death` of cancer cells in a host organism by introducing minute paramagnetic, diamagnetic or ferromagnetic particles to the organism intravenously, and inductively heating the phagocytized particles, utilizing a helical coil surrounding the host and a high frequency alternating electromagnetic field provided by an electronic oscillator, the heating being effected to raise the intracellular temperature of affected cells sufficiently to cause cell death. The treatment relies inter alia upon certain known differences in normal and abnormal cells, in particular the enhanced ability of cancer cells to phagocytize particulate material, and their lower temperature threshold for necrosis as detailed above.
This treatment has been found effective in the selective removal, without surgery, of primary tumors in host organisms, including spontaneously generated tumors recognized to be more difficult objects of therapy. The method offers particular promise in the case of metastatic cancer where the metastatic sites, are inoperable and/or poorly dealt with through chemotherapy, since the Gordon treatment is effected from without the host and may be applied to any region without significant deleterious effect on surrounding normal tissue
Now it has nevertheless been necessary, in further studies, to refine several aspects of the treatment protocol as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,488 to accomplish the particularized goal for an individual treatment with greater certitude, accuracy and flexibility. The implementation of this improved treatment method in part utilizes inventive aspects which are the subject of other applications for U.S. Letters Patent by the same inventor as recited hereinafter. For example, a fuller understanding of the technology underlying the Gordon treatment reveals the operation of subtle mechanisms which can themselves become a contributing factor in the course of treatment. Thus, the generation of intracellular substances such as interferon may be stimulated or enhanced during, or as a result of treatment, as disclosed in copending and commonly assigned application Ser. No. 418,298 of the same inventor, incorporated herein by reference.